KELSEYVILLE, Calif. – Hunger is a reality for many residents of Lake County, including residents in the community of Kelseyville.

A meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, Jan. 31, at the Kelseyville United Methodist Church to discuss ways to address this problem in the Kelseyville area.

The church is located at the corner of First and Main Streets in Kelseyville.

The Kelseyville United Methodist Church has maintained a small food pantry at its facility for over 20 years that has been administered in conjunction with its Thrift Shop program.

In response to the increased number of families and individuals in need, the church and the Unitarian Universalist Community of Lake County (which shares use of the church facility) have decided to look for ways to expand its current food pantry to address the growing need in the community.

Those interested in helping design a viable and sustainable food pantry program are invited to join the group on Jan. 31.

The meeting will focus on strategies and action-steps the church and participants must take to grow the program to effectively address the needs of the community.

Those individuals unable to attend the meeting who have an interest in participating in the food pantry efforts should contact Rev. Wanda Celli at 707-245-0182.

The Kelseyville United Methodist Church also will participate in “Lake County CAN!” an event to stock seven local food pantries and to ship 20,000 meals overseas by partnering with “Stop Hunger Now.”

“Lake County CAN!” is being hosted by the Lake County Circuit of the United Methodist Church in late March. The circuit is comprised of the seven United Methodist Churches in Lake County.

The “Lake County CAN!” event will be held at the Upper Lake Community United Methodist Church on Friday, March 30, from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., and at the Clearlake United Methodist Church on Saturday, March 31, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Community participation at both events is welcome.

Individuals can register to be a part of this event at http://rethinkchurch.org/impact-event/lake-county-can.

Information about the "Stop Hunger Now" program can be found at http://www.stophungernow.org.

For more information about “Lake County CAN!” contact Reverend Shannon Kimbell-Auth at 707-263-4788.